


the sword and the axe

by heronlibra



Category: Fire Emblem Series, Fire Emblem: Kakusei | Fire Emblem: Awakening
Genre: F/F, M/M, Multi, and libra doesnt think too much of anything romantic, how kind of you to notice, in which lon'qu isn't good at realizing his crushes, yes i do like slow burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-29
Updated: 2019-07-12
Packaged: 2020-05-28 18:26:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,458
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19399864
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/heronlibra/pseuds/heronlibra
Summary: why don't they have supports, nintendo? why, huh?basically i'll be building their relationship because intsys failed me.they will get mushy romancy.i like slow burn.





	1. laundry

A cold rain fell upon Ylisse when Emmeryn’s death became public news. Chrom’s pain became the people’s pain, and rebellion crackled through the masses like lightning. Libra could remember well when he took up the axe to defend the people against Plegia’s mad king Gangrel, but adjusting to being surrounded by his fellow soldiers was the real challenge amidst the chaos of war. At the same time however, it was a welcome change from the dreary, quiet halls of the Church of Naga. It was more lively, but all the interaction with others - The casual way that people would brush their hands on parts of his body, that was what he had the most trouble adjusting to.

For each time he felt another’s hands on his own, a cold chill ran down his spine and he’d pull them away instantly, as though they’d been scalded by boiling water. He was not the only one who felt overwhelmed by people, but sometimes when one is absorbed in their own problems, they fail to notice anyone else’s. Such was the case with Libra, though he was a kind and caring man. He had much too many worries and careful planning to notice the little details of others’ quirks. Lon’qu however, had long since noticed the way that the priest flinched away from anyone’s hands, and the way that he avoided touching limbs on anyone else as often as he could. And it made him curious. 

It was a sunny afternoon when he first held a conversation with the Chon’sin swordsman. Tall and quiet with a handsome but stern expression, they were complete opposites as to what they looked like. Lon’qu’s messy brown hair was always styled into his face and his shoulders were always drawn tight, as though he were ready any time to strike an enemy. His eyes were intense and deep brown, and his skin was darker than most others’ in the army. He and Olivia both came from Regina Ferrox, after all. Libra, on the other hand, had fair, dark blonde hair that fell down to just past his shoulders, his skin was pale and fair, and his eyes were a gentle, but vivid spring green. Often times, the poor dear was mistaken for a woman simply because of his complexion and speaking tone. 

But Lon’qu never suspected for a moment that Libra was a woman. Despite his dainty features, he also had broad hands, wide shoulders, and a strong jawline. He was simply … very pretty. Very lithe. Like a lily, blooming under the sunlight. The linen cot sheets and the linen casual clothes were being hung up to dry when one of them escaped Libra’s clothespins. “Oh --” 

Chasing after it, he didn’t have to go far before it was caught by the swordsman. The blonde spared a smile instinctively as the brunette held it out, looking as grouchy as ever.

“Thank you. Lon’qu, was it?”   
“Yes.”   
“From Ferrox, correct?”

“Yes.”

An awkward pause lingered between the two. Libra waited patiently for Lon’qu, knowing his fellow soldier wasn’t one for conversation. He folded the sheet meanwhile, making sure each fold was perfect. Lon’qu adjusted himself, albeit a bit nervously.

“You’re Libra. The priest.”

A brow was risen in surprise as the Ylissean nodded, keeping his expression stoic otherwise. Most mistook him for a sister of Naga, especially when they first met. Chrom was no exception to that.

“I am, yes. I have been hoping to speak with you, actually.”

“Why.”

“Because you are both a very capable soldier and a man who I do not know much about, actually. I do like to know the people I am going to war with. And you are very far from home … I hoped I could help you curb your homesickness.”

“So are you. You really …”

Libra hangs the rest of the laundry while he waits for Lon’qu to finish his train of thought. He was very quickly coming to learn the other man’s speech patterns. 

“You’re strong. I was wondering if you wanted to spar sometime tomorrow. I think I could learn a lot from you.”

Libra is once again caught off guard and he smiles softly, but sincerely as the laundry keeps being hung to dry.

“Thank you. That’s something I very rarely hear.”

“So?”

“It would be an honor to spar against you, Lon’qu. I accept. Find me tomorrow, when you are ready.”

“Okay.” THe brunette turned to start walking away, which made Libra laugh to himself.

“I’ll see you bright and early, then!” He called after Lon’qu.

Training with someone rather than the silent training dummy sounded exciting. And knowing Lon’qu would put up quite the fight made it sound even more enticing. He was a bit surprised that the Chon’sin swordsman would even ask, given his naturally solitary attitude. He must have had a reason to, the priest supposed. Had they been on the battlefield together? That had to have been the reason. Why else would Lon’qu look for him, specifically? What a curious interaction that had been. He couldn’t wait for tomorrow, to see what it would be like to train against someone as learned as the man from Regina Ferrox.

Lon’qu, on the other hand … His memory was focused on the fire in Libra’s green eyes as he swung the axe through the air, one handed. The tense shoulders, the raw strength. But his appearance … Lon’qu tried to make sense of it. How could someone so demure and delicate looking hide such a massive amount of physical strength? Libra is without a doubt,  _ strong. _

And he wanted to know why, and how such a gentle, fair face looked so intense when faced with an enemy trying to end his life. It made a shiver run down the brunette’s spine when he thought of the cold, expressionless glint in Libra’s eyes compared to when he was mending the laundry, or washing dishes, or tidying up his craftwork. Lon’qu wandered into the mess hall to begin his dinner prep. It was his turn to make something, and of course there would be potatoes. He fishes the peeler out of his pocket and even after he’d skinned the veggies and started cutting them into cubes, he found his thoughts drifting to the furrow of Libra’s brow and the movement of his muscles as he swung his axe through their enemies. He’d figure out what made the priest so strong sooner rather than later, so he tried to ebb the memory from his mind as he cooked.

But curiosity is a strong vice on the mind, and Lon’qu couldn’t shake it. He couldn’t  _ wait _ for tomorrow.


	2. training

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> lon'qu and libra spar. libra opens up a little.

“ _ Huah!” _

Metal and wood clashed against one another as Lon’qu stumbled back, wiping his cheek from sweat with the back of his free hand.  _ That _ was the look he remembered. A cold bonfire, an intense, judgemental stare, as though his soul itself were on display and being picked apart by the divines above. The swordsman corrected his stance, holding his practice blade tightly in both hands before rushing in close, darting to the left of Libra and striking against his ribs. On an ordinary man, with a real blade instead of wood, that would have killed him. Strangely, the priest didn’t even flinch or stumble from the hit. But he did retaliate, swinging his whole body around to slam the axe flat against Lon’qu hard enough to knock him down onto the ground, right on his back.

And then he felt a weight on his chest, heavy but not sharp. He tried to catch his breath as Libra leaned slightly over the handle of the practice axe, smiling serenely, as though he hadn’t just rendered Lon’qu breathless. He blushed a little, watching how his long blonde hair fell gently against his shoulders, and a little towards his face. When Libra did that, he … He really did look like someone, or something holy, angelic.

“I believe I have won this round, Lon’qu.” He murmurs, quiet enough for the swordsman to hear him.

“Hmph.” Lon’qu pushes the axe off himself, sitting up and placing the practice blade down.

“You’re good.”

He watches Libra set the axe aside as well, finally putting a hand to his side where Lon’qu had struck him moments ago. 

“Thank you, my friend. You’re quite formidable as well. I imagine were we truly fighting, I would have met my quick end.” He watches the blonde apply pressure and worries that he’s made his new friend bleed somehow.

“Mmm.”

“... it’s alright. Merely a bruise, I believe. I will check it on my own later.”

“Why. We’re both men. I don’t care if I see your stomach or not.”

He watches Libra’s cheeks blush pink, as he shakes his head.

“Ah, no, I must insist. If not for you, then for me. I don’t … particularly like undressing with someone in the room with me, no matter how close we are. My apologies.”

“It’s gonna be bad later if you don’t assess how bad it is now.” Lon’qu stands up, making Libra shy back on instinct in fear of being touched. “I’m not going to put my hands on you.”

“While I appreciate that, I really …”

“Just. Let me see, Libra.”

A defeated sigh leaves the war monk as he nods and rolls up the side of his shirt, exposing the large, katana shaped bruise now coloring along the curve of his ribs. Lon’qu, despite insisting, finds himself blushing a little bit more at the sight of Libra’s abdominal muscles out in the open. He clears his throat and squats, narrowing his eyes at the bruise. It was a nasty dark purple, and the edges were red and yellow. He hit … pretty hard. Whoops. Libra quickly rolls his shirt back down, cheeks red now instead of the faint pink they were earlier. 

“As I said, it will heal itself.”

“....”

“I’ll go get you something cold.”

“Lon’qu, you -- ah …”

And once again his protests are for nothing. He watches the brunette get up and leave abruptly, without much continuing conversation on the matter. Stubborn, wasn’t he? It was charming in a sense, watching his brow furrowed with worry and his scowl deepening. It wasn’t the other man’s fault his skin bruised, even if he had hit pretty hard. They were only supposed to get casual, but Lon’qu had looked so serious that Libra, too, began hitting harder than he would with anyone else.

The determination in the other man’s brown eyes coupled with the way he so deftly dodged each of Libra’s heavy armed attacks made him as much of a deadly opponent as the priest believed he would be. Still, his body ached, but not in an unpleasant way. ‘Pain is but a state of mind,’ as the teachings of Naga always said. All he had to do was will himself not to feel the sting of the bruise when his lungs inflated and deflated. Easy enough. He had endured far worse injury, both as a Shepherd and as a civilian. His thoughts drift to the nights when he was but a child, crying and cradling himself against the walls of the church --

And Lon’qu returns with a towel full of ice, holding it out to him and snapping Libra from his flashback.

“Thank you. This will do quite nicely.” He rests it against the bruise, wincing a little. 

“... where did you learn to fight?”

There’s a moment of silence between them as Libra concentrated on holding the ice to his bruise, biting the inside of his cheek.

“It is a very long story, Lon’qu.”

“We have time.”

“As you wish.” A sigh leaves him, “I was not born knowing how to fight, as I never had the luxury of having anyone to teach me how to defend myself. I am a priest, a pacifist, a man who wishes for all to end the best possible way it can. Even so, one of my hands kills, and the other heals our allies.” A sad smile parts his lips, and Lon’qu frowns.

“Quite the dilemma, as I am sure you can imagine. But even the peaceful, at some point, must learn to defend themselves, for humans are the evil we have to face more so than any dragon, beast, or risen.”

A nod from Lon’qu.

“When I learned of the death of Exalt Emmeryn, her sacrifice … in a horrid way, motivated me to defend Ylisse so that no tragedy so great could again befall our home. And so, I took up the axe we kept in the back of the Church of Naga’s store room and descended onto the battlefield, where lord Chrom found Tharja and I.”

“Huh.”

“I had chopped wood before this, so I applied that practice to … humans.”

“Ew.”

“It’s … I make it sound horrible, but it isn’t as though they don’t die quickly.”

Lon’qu scratches his cheek, adjusting from foot to foot. 

“Guess that makes sense. Sword’s lighter than an axe. Easier to use.”

“We did not have any of those where I was. But … you are quite proficient with your blade, wooden or steel.”

“Thanks.”

Another pause lingers between them, as Libra adjusts the towel on his ribs a bit again.

“... I should go wash up. Thanks for training with me.”

“Of course, Lon’qu. Should you want to do so again, you need only find me.”

“Mm.”

Libra waved to him as he exited the training tent, smile quickly fading. Some priest he was … some kind and gentle soul he pretended to be, while his hands were stained a muddy red with the blood of Ylisse’s enemies. [O Naga, forgive my sins. O Naga, protect the child of light who takes lives in your name. Blessed be our soldiers, for without them, Ylisse is lost.]   
… It felt cold now, the axe handle in his hand. He didn’t  _ deserve _ kindness. Not from Chrom, or Lon’qu, or anyone in the army. Libra exits the tent quietly as well, returning to his own tent to bend his knee in prayer yet again.

The sins of one are the sins of many, and Libra’s were written in his axe with the blood of men who had lives, and families, long before Plegia and Ylisse went to war. The idea of it made him want to be sick.

[O Naga, I have sinned greatly. O Naga, your mercy will not be wasted on me. O Naga, powerful dragon, please lend me, your humble, faithful devoted with the strength I need to keep people safe.]


	3. risen!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> risen attack! the plot thickens! injuries ensue!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> wow hello it's been a while!  
> i'm gonna make the next chapter spooky.

The journey across Ylisse to Plegia was taxing on just about every member of the army. Lon’qu and Libra walked together in silence along the trails and wished they had horses to ride like Stahl, or Sully, or even Frederick … but it left them with time to speak to one another, or so they believed. It was with a sudden whirl of an arrow through the air that the tranquility became chaos. The horses scattered and as Chrom and Robin tried to regain a hold on their battlefield, the priest and the swordsman took up their weapons, which caught the eye of the silver haired, brown eyed tactician. Something in them glinted, which Libra didn’t like the look of. 

“Libra, Lon’qu -- Support each other this time around!”

He ordered, getting his Thoron tome ready and climbing up onto the back of Frederick’s horse. They were a married unit, after all … It was natural that they fought together. Frederick scoffed a little as per usual anytime they were in battle. “In formation, shephards!”

And quickly, everyone got into place. Libra gripped his axe tight in his hand as he uttered a quiet prayer, watching the enemy appear on the battlefield. Plegian soldiers, though something looked … not quite right about them. 

“Captian! Hold —“ Libra called out, panic on his usually stoic features.

But it was too late. Chrom had already swung Falchion, striking through one of the soldiers. Much to his horror, actually, as the prince of Ylisse watched the body collapse and realize that they were fighting risen, not soldiers. He jumps back, covering his nose, 

“Gods! Risen! No - there’s something strange about these …”

Sighing, Libra shook his head and murmured something about trying to tell him that … But it was too late now. Their plan of attack changed completely in just the blink of an eye. Lon’qu and Libra went up front first, since they were two units who hit harder than the mages or archers behind them. Lon’qu went first, being faster, and he dug his blade through one of the risen with ease. As he was retreating however, Libra spotted another enemy charging them - And Lon’qu had his back to it! Without thinking, he leapt between the swordsman and the enemy, blocking the blade with his axe and being thrown back a bit. 

“Naga, forgive me for what I must do,” He murmurs, gaze growing frigid as he shoved the enemy all the way back, watching it stumble. His axe swung into the air and cleaved the risen in half, clean from the skull to the groin. Lon’qu tried not to shudder at the sight of the priest and his unforgiving, unrepentant gaze. “Lon’qu!”

He snaps to attention just in time, as Libra points the axe towards an archer aimed at them.

“Right.”

Robin’s tome could be heard causing electricity across the battlefield, so he worried little for their tactician. He was with his husband, and so Frederick would keep him safe at any cost. Lon’qu wasn’t sure that Frederick could even  _ die, _ anyways. Nothing seemed to injure that man, and it made sense why Chrom was so intense on the battlefield. Lon’qu cuts quickly through the archer in time to swivel around and watch Libra get speared through the shoulder. Sure, the blonde grit his teeth, but he didn’t cry out. The swordsman on the other hand, felt his blood boil beneath his veins.

_ “LIBRA!” _

The noise startles him and the risen both as Lon’qu comes running, Libra managing to dodge his blade at the last second, despite the injury. 

What had agitated Lon’qu so? He smiles gently, despite the blood pooling up on his priest’s robes. It’s a strange sight to behold, the red against the white and serenity on his face. Lon’qu’s worry makes his smile falter, if not for a moment. He can see the terror on Libra’s face for a split second before the priest takes a vulnary, and applies a bandage to the wound. 

“Worry not. I am alright, Lon’qu. If we stop here, we will lose our lives instead of a little blood.”

“Hmph.” But he nods in understanding, wondering why he felt so … heated up over a little injury he’d seen countless times before. Perhaps it had to do with the man injured rather than the spear that did it. He doesn’t have time to contemplate, however, as he’s attacked by another axe wielder. Distracted, however, he takes a hit to the leg and grunts in pain, making the priest bristle and tense up. 

Libra is quick to heal him with a staff, before he swings his own weapon through the air and shoves the enemy back, leaving them open for Lon’qu to slice through their middle like paper. They made for a pretty good team. Maybe Robin  _ was _ onto something here. 

The rest of the Shepherds were making quick work of the risen around them, and before they knew it, the battle was over. Lon’qu said nothing, not even a thank you - No asking if the blonde was alright or not. Instead, he seemed to brood about something, tussling his hair and rolling his shoulders. Libra cleaned his axe in the grass and knelt to say a prayer for the poor lost souls, wondering if there was a source they were coming from or not … Farmhands, wielding weapons like pitchforks, wood chopping axes, pots and pans, dressed up like soldiers from Plegia. This had to be deliberate. 

It had to be on purpose.

Robin was consulting Chrom now as Frederick helped Henry and Miriel clear the bodies away. What had the mad king done now, setting the undead upon them?

“I don’t like it,” Libra heard Chrom state, “They had to have come from somewhere nearby. We should search for tracks or --”

“Milord.” Frederick cleared his throat.

“Yes, sir Frederick?”

“These people have come from Northwest of this area. Their tracks trail through a little mountain pass. Shall we pursue?”

“Ah, excellent. Yes! Without haste!”

Robin nodded in agreement, “And if it’s not too horrible, maybe we can stay there the night.”

… Lon’qu had a bad feeling about all of it. And so did Libra. They exchanged silent, worried glances between each other as the army marched onwards.


End file.
